I don't know about your home, but at our house the Christmas season is even more hectic than normal. There are friends around the world to send remember for Christmas cards, goodies to bake, parties to attend, and a thousand other details that demand attention. Oh, and purchasing just the right Christmas presents takes some not-so-insignificant energy and creativity, too!

I think it's easier than ever to find ourselves waking up suddenly on Christmas morning and thinking, "Is it Christmas ALREADY?!" We seem to miss so many of the blessings of this Advent and Christmas season in our quest to meet demands and do the "right" thing. Of course, ministers and teachers in our churches will be extolling the primary characters of the Christmas story. There ARE great lessons to be learned from them, even today. However, some of the "minor" characters also teach great lessons, too --- lessons we ALL need to learn and relearn.

1. THE INNKEEPER

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." ---- Luke 2:4-7

Perhaps this unnamed innkeeper should best be remembered as the Patron Saint of Tyranny of the Urgent --- those who become so busy that they're blind to reality. Of course, on the outside, nothing physical or obvious indicated to the innkeeper that the poor family standing at his door was a royal family. No holy aura surrounded them --- they were just an exhausted traveling family like so many others foisted on tiny Bethlehem by a Roman Emperor's need for a census and, of course, new taxes. Every available living space was already taken, and STILL the families came!

How many times we have vilified this poor businessman! Was he really hard-hearted, or was he simply tapped out for space? Was he really some sort of enemy of the Christ-child, or was he merely overwhelmed by the demands of the day? Most likely, he was exactly like us --- seized by the urgency of the moment and the demands of the obvious. How many of us lose our spiritual bearings each day in the workaday world JUST LIKE THAT? Pray this week that God will give you and me a heightened spiritual sensitivity to what's REALLY important. Don't fall for the error of the innkeeper --- by satisfying the innocent request for space with what he had left, he permanently lost the opportunity to create a more honorable space for the holy family. His busyness blinded him to God's great gift right in front of him!

2. THE SHEPHERDS

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord'.........When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off...." ----Luke 2:8-16

Of all the characters who might be good examples for us, fewer are more unlikely than shepherds. These were NOT Ph.D. candidates! Shepherds were unkempt and unseemly characters whose manners were rough at best and whose reputations were uniformly bad. In fact, Jewish practice was that shepherds' testimony was not to be trusted in court proceedings unless corroborated by other, non-shepherd, testimony! Yet, there it is in Scripture that of all the groups who could have heard the Heavenly Host announcing the birth of the Messiah, God sovereignly chose the shepherds!

I don't know if this partly indicates that God has a different sense of humor, but I think it DOES show that God's love and grace encompasses ALL types of folks! The shepherds are examples that we're never so far away from God that His message cannot come through to us. Also, though the shepherds were aware of their low social status and esteem, they did receive the word from God's messengers and took it seriously. When told the good news and that "you will find..," they "hurried off" to find Mary and Joseph and the Baby. Their hurrying, unlike the innkeeper, was to see what was true and eternal. Our hurrying should be the same!

Oh, and I do notice that verse 17 tells us that "When they had seen him, they spread the word..." Not a bad result of Christmas! Wonder how well we "spread the word" the rest of the year?!

This week, we'll come much closer to that blessed night in Bethlehem once again. In all the hurrying, in all the preparations for friends and family, in all the demands on our attention and time, make sure that we learn from the shepherds rather than the innkeeper! Don't miss what is eternal for what is expedient!

"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.'" When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

-----Luke 1:18-25

Lately, we've seen a remarkable (and welcomed!) surge in this country of patriotism. Yes, I know it is fashionable these days to attribute this rebirth to the tragic events of 9-11-01; however, I think it was there all the time in true Americans and our real friends. It is refreshing to see Old Glory proudly displayed and young people openly supporting the military services. I feel a genuine rise in emotion when I see fresh-faced, bright-as-a-new-penny young people in the uniform our our nation!

Lest we pop our buttons with these sentiments, let us not forget that currently we are calling on these wonderful young soldiers, sailors, Air Force servicemembers, and Marines to go to far-off places and place themselves in harm's way for the interests of America. What on earth can compel a young person --- who just weeks ago could not hang up clothes or keep their bedroom above the level of a biological disaster area --- to prepare their gear for a deployment inspection or stand at rigid attention for what seems like forever?! It's almost miraculous how Drill Sergeants, Basic Training, and Boot Camp can instill a sense of instant obedience to instructions and orders!

This strong sense of obedience and discipline is the underpinning of our soldiers and Marines in dangerous places like Afghanistan and the Philippines. Our Special Operations military epitomizes "Can Do" and "All the Way" and "Airborne" and "Air Assault!" When Special Ops is involved, there is NO question of obedience and mission focus! Even at the cost of their own lives, these sterling Americans pay any price for mission accomplishment.

In the Christmas story, there is another example of this kind of obedience and focus. I don't know why, but all too often Joseph, the earthly father of our Lord Jesus, is either left out or relegated to a small supporting role in all the happenings. That's tragic, for his example of obedience to God and commitment to the "mission" at hand are examples for all the ages!

Can you imagine a more difficult and costly circumstance than his? His beloved fiance is found "with child." He could have saved his pride by ceremonially and openly divorcing her. He could have thrown the whole problem onto Mary and found another young women with a good reputation. What he DID do was plan to "put Mary away" privately and absorb the criticism and hurt.

When he heard the instructions of God via the angel, he obeyed. He took Mary for his wife --- accepting the whispers and rumors and looks that doubtless came his way. He sacrificed his husbandly comforts and rights by waiting until after the child's birth for physical love.

Meditate on this brief passage and notice the simple, yet profound obedience evidenced by Joseph. He received the will of God, shouldered the responsibility to obey, and HE OBEYED! Why not ask God this week to make that your own purpose? I can think of no more worthy preparation to celebrate what Christmas really means!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

One of the complaints we hear consistently during the Christmas season is the increasing high cost of everything. In spite of their efforts to undercut their competition, all the merchants and manufacturers seem to find a way to increase the prices they charge for their products. As the economy ebbs and flows, we Americans dig deep in our pockets (not to mention our "plastic") to pay the high cost of gifts and presents.

Now, as John's Gospel tells us in the well-known verse above, the original Christmas came with a high cost, too! In fact, it came with the highest cost. Presents and gifts for us are really more "additions." That is, they simply add to the vast amount of things we already own. On the scale of the world, we Americans are wealthy --- therefore, we sacrifice very little to purchase our presents. We sacrifice very little, and our lifestyles change hardly at all.

The true spirit of Christmas is exemplified, though, in the great sacrifice for the first Christmas present. God GAVE His "one and only Son." He gave the gift of highest value --- a true "one of a kind." Why? Because He loved us! Our expressions of love and our gifts to one another are but shadows and reminders of the Divine example two thousand years ago. God's gracious gift not only enlightens our hearts, but it inspires our emulation, also.

On December 12, 1912, a young Christian worker, Bill Borden, left for missionary service in China among the Muslims. He planned a period of language study in Egypt. Young Borden was reared in an upper-class family in Chicago, and he was the heir to a fortune made in real estate and milk production. As a lad, he volunteered at Chicago's Moody Church under Pastor R.A. Torrey to missions service.

He studied at Yale University and aimed his life and his fortune to missions. His mother, though, had reservations about his sacrifice. On the eve of Borden's departure, she fell asleep asking over and over, "Is it, after all, really worthwhile?" She later recorded that in the morning, a still small voice spoke in her heart, "GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only Son..."

A month after arriving in Egypt, Borden contracted spinal meningitis and died within two weeks. When they came for his body, a note was found under his pillow --- "No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regrets!"

When newspapers carried the story of his sacrifice, the numbers of young people volunteering for missions increased significantly. His sacrifice WAS worth it!

AND --- that's also true of the first Christmas! God held nothing back in the gift of Jesus and did not retreat from His gracious offering. The Scriptures recount NO Divine regrets as He Who was God became flesh.

As you continue your Advent preparations this week, why don't you adopt Borden's testimony for your own motto? "No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regrets!" What a difference it could make this Christmas for you!

"But after Joseph considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' --- which means, 'God with us.'"

Matthew 1:20-23

During the Advent season, we spend a lot of time talking about the characters who make up the Christmas Story. One recurring theme during this very special time is faith; that is, the belief we have in God and our commitment to Him. Of course, these are legitimate themes and many people do experience a renewal of faith during these emphases.

But did you ever think of faith as an aspect of God's attitude towards US? Oh, I don't mean a childish faith or an unrealistic hyped-up belief in our abilities or skills. What I mean is His commitment TO us. God calls for us to come to Him in faith and commitment, and He has expressed His commitment to us in sending His Son, Jesus. That's why He is called, Immanuel --- "God with us."

You know, belief is a powerful activity. It changes lives and gives a boost where one is often needed.

As we prepare for Christmas this year, spend some reflecting on the great act of commitment God performed toward us. Find someone this week who needs encouragement and faith --- and encourage them! If God Himself believes in His people enough to send His Son, can we think little of ourselves or our lives? Encourage and lift up others who are down and discouraged --- you might be amazed at the results!